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Bank on Human Rights
Methodology for Incorporating Human Rights into Social Impact Assessment and
Management at Development Finance Institutions
Working Draft - - March 22, 2015
EXPLANATORY NOTES
Purpose: This document is a working draft of a methodology for incorporating human rights into
the assessment and management of social risks and impacts in the context of development
finance. The methodology is being developed by the Bank on Human Rights Coalition as an
advocacy tool for promoting rights-respecting development and policy change within
development finance institutions. It is designed to fit within the environmental and social
framework of the World Bank, but also to be adaptable by other multilateral development
finance institutions, aid agencies, and national development banks.
Scope: The methodology focuses on identification and management of social risks and impacts,
including risks and impacts on the realization of human rights. It does not attempt to address
necessary measures for the identification and management of environmental risks and impacts.
This is not to imply that social and environmental risks and impacts are not interrelated, or that
environmental impacts do not have human rights components, or to suggest that social and
environmental assessment should be separate processes. Rather, the methodology’s focus on
social risks and impacts is intended to draw attention to aspects of development that are often
overlooked by standard impact assessment policies and processes.
Process: BHRC is presently gathering feedback on this working draft - from Coalition members
and allies, as well as other assessment, human rights, and development practitioners and experts
– for further development and piloting.
SUMMARY OF METHODOLOGY
All investment operations financed by the World Bank will undergo Social Risk and
Opportunities Analysis, conducted by the Bank, which will determine the operation’s
categorization and required due diligence. The Borrower, with support from the Bank, will be
required to conduct a Social Impact Assessment (SIA) for all projects prior to project approval,
and at all project stages. The purpose of SIA is to evaluate project alternatives and determine
project design in order to maximize and ensure a fair distribution of positive social impacts,
avoid human rights abuses, and minimize negative social impacts. This involves anticipating
social impacts and the differentiation and distribution of those impacts on different segments of
the population, analyzing the significance of those impacts based on scale and irremediability,
and identifying and evaluating mitigation measures. Bank, Borrower, and affected communities
will establish a Commitment Plan which will include impact indicators, mitigation plan and
timeline, supervision and monitoring plan, and budget. An investment operation will not be
eligible for financing if it is likely to cause, contribute to or exacerbate human rights violations.
[See Annex I for process overview]
COMPONENTS
I. HUMAN RIGHTS POLICY COMMITMENT. A policy commitment that the World Bank
will respect human rights and take all necessary measures to ensure that the activities it
finances or otherwise supports do not cause, contribute to, or exacerbate human rights
violations. Prohibition on financing any activity that contravenes the Borrower’s obligations
under international law.
II. MITIGATION HIERARCHY. All adverse impacts are to be addressed along the following
hierarchy: Prevent human rights violations, and avoid adverse impacts. Where an adverse
impact cannot be avoided, minimize or reduce the impact. Where residual impacts remain,
restore to the original condition or restitute. Where restitution or restoration is not possible,
provide other acceptable remedy.
III. SOCIAL IMPACTS DEFINITION. Definition of social impacts includes inter alia the
following components: 1) direct, indirect, secondary, and cumulative impacts; 2) impacts on
the realization or enjoyment of human rights; 3) disproportionate accrual of impacts on
different groups due to their experience of marginalization, discrimination or exclusion; and
4) inequitable access to development benefits due to a group’s experience of marginalization,
discrimination or exclusion.
<<Project Stage: Identification and Screening>>
IV. SOCIAL RISK AND OPPORTUNITY ANALYSIS [see Annex II]. To be performed by
Bank Task Team Leader (TTL) in consultation with Social Specialists, based on
information provided by Borrower and additional research by Bank. Purpose = to 1)
identify and evaluate project alternatives; 2) inform project risk categorization; 3) identify
relevant key issue areas and concerns for further investigation in the SIA; 4) provide input
into stakeholder identification for the Stakeholder Engagement Plan; and 5) inform final
project clearance at appraisal. The depth of inquiry is subject to available information at
this stage.
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A. Organized based on a series of issue areas, such as Employment and Labor, Public
Health, Indigenous Peoples, and Security.
B. Risks and opportunities are measured against a standard for each issue area. Each
standard is designed not only to prevent human rights violations and other harm, but
also to “do good,” supporting the fulfillment of human rights and delivering shared
prosperity and sustainable development. The standards are based on human rights
norms and best practice among development finance institutions.
C. Each issue area has a set of risk indicator questions to be answered by the Bank Task
Team Leader based on a preliminary investigation. Each risk indicator question
contains resources for answering the question, such as project documents, EIAs for
similar projects, transparency rankings, human rights reports, etc.
D. Identify anticipated social impacts, drawing from registry of possible impacts, and
identify key issue areas/scoping for SIA.
E. Definition of social impacts which includes inter alia: 1) direct, indirect, secondary,
and cumulative impacts; 2) impacts on the realization or enjoyment of human rights; 3)
disproportionate accrual of impacts on different groups due to their experience of
marginalization, discrimination or exclusion; and 4) inequitable access to development
benefits due to a group’s experience of marginalization, discrimination or exclusion.
F. Where assessment of a given impact scenario is incomplete or impossible to undertake
at the time of analysis, a precautionary approach should be applied.
G. Identify and evaluate project alternatives to prevent human rights abuses and
maximize development benefits.
H. Identify, evaluate (based on appropriateness, sufficiency, feasibility, and capacity), and
prioritize feasible mitigation measures to avoid, minimize, restore, and remedy
negative social impacts.
I. Determine significance (in terms of scale and irremediability) of anticipated impacts,
including cumulative and residual impacts post-mitigation, in order to determine project
risk level, and to prioritize mitigation measures.
J. Identify initial estimates of resource needs and timelines for mitigation measures.
V.
RISK CATEGORIZATION. Purpose = To determine 1) whether project falls within
acceptable risk levels, and 2) level of due diligence required for risk management. Based
on the identified anticipated social impacts, their significance pre- and post- mitigation, as
well as the distribution of impacts, projects will be placed under one of the following risk
categories:
A) Unacceptable Risk: The project type is on Exclusion List;
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B) High Risk:
1. The project is likely to have adverse social impacts significant in terms of scale or
irremediable character; or
2. Certain social groups likely to be disproportionately adversely affected; or
3. The project type is on Presumptive High/Substantial Risk List.
C) Substantial Risk:
1. The project may have adverse social impacts significant in terms of scale or
irremediable character; or
2. Certain social groups may be disproportionately adversely affected; or
3. The project type is on the Presumptive High/Substantial Risk List.
D) Moderate Risk:
1. The project does not pose risk of adverse social impacts significant in terms of scale
or irremediable character;
2. The project may have adverse social impacts, but feasible, appropriate and sufficient
avoidance and minimization measures can readily be designed and implemented to
prevent these; and
3. Any impacts which cannot be avoided through design alternatives would be readily
remediable if they were to occur.
E) Low Risk:
The project poses little or no risk of adverse social impacts.
Categorization at this stage is provisional, subject to additional findings of the SIA.
Presumptive High/Substantial Risk List includes inter alia:
1) Project/Activity has a high level of complexity, e.g. land reform, closed facilities.
2) Project/Activity has a large physical footprint, e.g. extractive industry, highways.
3) Project/Activity involves hazardous or dangerous materials
4) Potential impacts are difficult to identify and assess at this stage.
5) There is a presence of indigenous peoples in, or with a collective attachment to, the
project area.
6) Project involves land acquisition or physical or economic displacement.
7) Project likely to involve significant migration in/out of the project area.
8) Any investment in a country and/or sub-national district that has experienced conflict
within the past five years. Conflict is defined as (a) violence between population
groups, (b) violence committed by the state against civilians or opposition groups, or
(c) violence committed by non-state armed groups against civilians.
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VI. CONCEPT REVIEW. A report detailing the process and findings of the Social Risk and
Opportunities Analysis is reviewed with internal team, including social specialists, regional
safeguards unit and development effectiveness staff. A categorization/risk rating is
assigned and TOR outlining the scope of SIA is defined. Project risk categorization and
SIA TOR must be cleared by Regional Safeguard Advisor in order for project preparation
to proceed.
<<Project Stage: Preparation>>
VII. SOCIAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT (SIA). Purpose = to design successful sustainable
development projects in concert with potentially affected communities, that prevent human
rights violations, avoid and minimize negative impacts, and maximize positive impacts and
their fair distribution. SIA utilizes a process of analysis and decisionmaking that 1)
evaluates project design alternatives based on potential impacts; 2) evaluates mitigation
measures; 3) produces mitigation plan and monitoring and supervision plan; and 4)
captures this analysis in a clear, public, transparent document allowing for more effective
and participatory implementation and monitoring.
A) Due Diligence procedural requirements for all SIAs:
1) SIA TOR developed by Bank and Borrower based on Social Risk and Opportunities
Analysis, to include key issue areas, relevant staffing and expertise needed, including
human rights expertise, and methodology for SIA.
2) Consultation of SIA TOR with stakeholders for High and Substantial Risk projects,
as defined in the Stakeholder Engagement Plan.
3) SIA conducted for all projects or programs, during each stage of the project cycle
and upon any major change in project or context. Depth and scope is commensurate
and proportional to the potential risks and impacts of the project/program and its risk
classification assigned by the Bank.
4) Meaningful and continuous participation of affected community, including
marginalized individuals and groups, and civil society organizations working with the
community. Including through provision of capacity-building and independent
legal/expert advice.
5) Access to information in understandable language/format on project/program,
partners, location, alternatives, risks, benefits and their likelihood, and relevant rights
under national and international law.
6) Records input of project-affected communities and marginalized individuals and
groups and how it was incorporated, or why it was not incorporated.
7) Bank supports and reviews SIA, including through regular site visits by TTL and
Social Specialists. Categorization is reviewed by Bank every 6 months during
construction, and annually during implementation. Any downgrading of
categorization requires approval by Regional Safeguards Advisor and Board.
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Additional due diligence required for Substantial Risk projects:

Provision for SIA verification by Independent Panel of Social Experts, including
human rights experts where appropriate.




On-going independent monitoring.
Monitoring and reporting directly to World Bank Board.
Plan for more frequent site visits by Social Specialists during implementation.
Affected community is encouraged to undertake its own, community-led impact
assessment.
Additional due diligence required for High Risk projects:

Publish SIA in draft form with consultation 120 days before appraisal mission.

Provision for SIA verification by Independent Panel of Social Experts, including
human rights experts where appropriate.





On-going independent monitoring.
Monitoring and reporting directly to World Bank Board.
Plan for more frequent site visits by Social Specialists during implementation.
Affected community is encouraged to undertake its own, community-led impact
assessment.
Independent funding is provided, e.g. through a trust fund, for community-led
assessment, if requested.
B) Substantive requirements for all SIAs [See Annex II]:
1) Project Purpose and Description.
2) Analysis of how project will contribute to poverty reduction and shared
prosperity.
3) Study area will reflect the project’s entire area of influence, including areas and
communities likely to be affected by cumulative impacts; assets or facilities and or
associated works directly owned or managed by the borrower and an integral part of
the main project intervention; supporting/enabling activities, assets or facilities,
supply chains or project procurement; associated facilities not funded as part of the
project but that are required for the successful operation of the project; areas and
communities potentially affected by impacts from unplanned but predictable
developments caused, contributed to, or induced by the project that may occur later or
at a different location.
4) Gap analysis of legal and institutional framework, capacity, and enforcement,
including gaps between national law and practice versus obligations under
international law.
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5) Stakeholder Engagement Plan, including comprehensive and context-specific
stakeholder and rights-holder identification and analysis conducted in consultation
with Bank and stakeholders. Includes identification of individuals and communities
actually and potentially impacted by the project, in particular groups which may be
more vulnerable to specific impacts, as well as other relevant stakeholders, and the
specific, particular and differentiated impacts that the project may have on each of
these groups. Additionally includes plan for consultation and engagement.
6) Relevant socioeconomic history and context, including discrimination and
inclusion, and other human rights issues, and conflict analysis where relevant.
7) Baseline assessment, including level of rights-enjoyment of affected population,
disaggregated.
8) Description of the potential positive and negative social impacts (direct, indirect,
secondary, cumulative) of the project, including impact on poverty reduction and
shared prosperity, disaggregated according to vulnerability. This is a narrative
account of where, when, why, and how the particular impact would be envisaged to
transpire, develop, play-out, and the specific group(s) of people that stand to be
impacted, with particular reference to any social group(s) that may be especially
vulnerable to the impact at hand, by virtue of their disproportionate exposure to the
impact, sensitivity to the impact, or limitations on their ability to respond, recover
and/or adapt to the impact.
9) Impacts are drawn from registry of possible impacts, refined based on key issue
areas/scoping identified from Social Risks and Opportunities Analysis, and from
outcome of consultations.
10) Anticipated impacts are measured against a standard for each issue area. Each
standard is designed not only to prevent human rights violations and other harm, but
also to “do good,” supporting the fulfillment of human rights and delivering shared
prosperity and sustainable development. The standards are based on human rights
norms and best practice among development finance institutions.
11) Each issue area has a set of risk indicator questions. Each risk indicator question
contains resources for answering the question, such as project documents, EIAs for
similar projects, transparency rankings, human rights reports, etc.
12) Definition of social impacts includes inter alia the following key factors: 1) direct,
indirect, secondary, and cumulative impacts; 2) impacts on the realization or
enjoyment of human rights; 3) disproportionate accrual of impacts on different
groups due to their experience of marginalization, discrimination or exclusion; and 4)
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inequitable access to development benefits due to a group’s experience of
marginalization, discrimination or exclusion.
13) Where assessment of a given impact scenario is incomplete or impossible to
undertake at the time of analysis, a precautionary approach should be applied.
14) Assessment of the significance of each of the identified impacts based on scale and
irremediability, for the purpose of prioritizing mitigations measures.
15) Description of all plausible alternatives that may avoid human rights violations,
avoid and minimize potential adverse social impacts, and maximize and ensure fairest
distribution of positive social impacts.
16) Description, evaluation and justification of the choice of mitigation measures
(probability of measure being effective, based on prioritization, appropriateness,
sufficiency, feasibility, capability) proposed to avoid, minimize and – where
necessary – remedy each of the anticipated adverse social impacts, including
necessary mitigation resources and timeline for implementation.
17) Assessment of the significance of any residual impacts anticipated to persist or
occur after the implementation of the avoidance and minimization elements of the
18)
19)
20)
21)
proposed mitigation hierarchy commensurate to each identified impact.
Identification of impact indicators, for both positive and negative impacts.
Monitoring and supervision measures and timeline for Borrower and Bank.
Participatory monitoring measures and timeline for community.
Plan for appropriate grievance mechanisms.
VIII. ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL COMMITMENT PLAN. Jointly agreed upon by
Borrower, Bank, and affected community. Purpose = to provide a comprehensive and
collaborative project framework for Bank, Borrower and affected communities to
effectively manage social risk and maximize sustainable development results in
participative, transparent, and rights-respecting manner. Funding disbursement is
appropriately pegged to successful completion of each stage of the Commitment Plan. No
high or substantial risk activities are eligible for deferral of appraisal or compliance timing
past board approval (e.g. borrower frameworks, financial intermediaries, common approach
agreements etc). Commitment Plan includes the following:
A) Project design;
B) Project implementation plans, measures, budgets and timelines, including Indigenous
Peoples Plan, Resettlement Action Plan, Benefit-Sharing agreements, etc;
C) Mitigation measures and timeline;
D) Indicative budget for all Commitment Plan actions;
E) Responsible parties for each action;
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F)
G)
H)
I)
Impact indicators;
Time-bound supervision, participatory monitoring and reporting plans;
Time-bound Stakeholder Engagement Plan; and
Remedies for non-compliance by specified timeline.
<<Project Stage: Appraisal and Approval>>
IX. SOCIAL ELIGIBILITY REVIEW. Purpose = to determine eligibility for financing.
Bank will determine eligibility for financing based on whether the following criteria are
met:
A) Project has shown it will contribute to poverty reduction and shared prosperity;
B) Where relevant, project has demonstrated third-party verified free, prior and informed
consent of Indigenous Peoples, Broad Community Support of affected communities,
and general welfare/public interest threshold for involuntary resettlement;
C) SIA meets substantive and procedural requirements above;
D) Categorization and SIA are consistent with/have been confirmed by input from
affected communities;
E) Project does not pose unacceptable risk; and
F) Any significant adverse social impacts are addressed by avoidance or minimization
measures.
X.
APPRAISAL REVIEW. Content and process of completed SIA are assessed by Regional
Safeguard Advisor. Approval required in order to proceed to consideration by the Board.
<<Project Stage: Implementation>>
XI. IMPLEMENTATION/MONITORING AND SUPERVISION. Purpose = Delivery of
sustainable development results and management of social risks and impacts.
A) SIA will be revisited/updated by Borrower in consultation with project-affected
communities (as specified in the Stakeholder Engagement Plan) at each stage of
implementation - construction, operation, rehabilitation or decommissioning – and upon
any major changes in project design or context, including any additional financing, and
quarterly during implementation.
B) In-country personnel will inform TTL and social specialists of any significant changes in
the project or the general context that might affect the social impacts of the project.
C) Bank will review SIA updates and perform necessary site visits to monitor project
implementation, mitigation, and social impacts.
D) Affected communities will be engaged in participatory monitoring.
E) High and substantial risk projects will utilize independent monitoring with reporting
directly to Board.
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F) Reporting of Commitment Plan implementation, including SIA related activities, shall
include primary source evidence as well as verified performance indicators.
G) Where actual impacts, mitigation measures, and residual impacts do not match those
anticipated in the SIA, or impact indicators are not met, the SIA will be updated and
implementation and mitigation plans will be adjusted to ensure that sustainable
development impacts are maximized and negative impacts are avoided and minimized. If
the SIA cannot be adjusted to satisfactorily address impacts, compliance remedies,
including funding termination, will be employed.
<<Project Stage: Evaluation>>
XII. MIDTERM AND COMPLETION REPORTS will be drafted by the Bank and Borrower
in consultation with affected communities. Funding disbursement will be linked to
realization of impact indicators.
XIII. TRANSPARENCY. Social Risk and Opportunities Analysis, Categorization, SIA,
Indigenous peoples Plan, Resettlement Plan, and other Plans, and Commitment Plan will be
disclosed to the public and potentially affected communities in a language and form
accessible to those communities, as TORs prior to project preparation and as full completed
drafts prior to project approval (120 days prior for high and substantial risk projects), and
whenever updated. On-going monitoring, Midterm and Completion Reports will be
disclosed to the public and affected communities.
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